Natural Treatment for Blocked Fallopian Tubes

One of the major causes of infertility in women is blocked fallopian tubes. These tubes are the pathway for the egg to reach the uterus, and whenever they are blocked, it can prevent conception. A blockage in the fallopian tubes may happen because of numerous reasons, such as damage, inflammation or twisting. Such things can be caused by a variety of conditions, such as an ectopic pregnancy, pelvic inflammatory disease, uterine fibroids, etc. However, there are several natural remedies to treat blocked fallopian tubes. While there are several natural treatments for blocked fallopian tubes, many of them are not proven scientifically and thus require a doctor’s consult.

Causes for Blocked Fallopian Tubes

Fallopian tubes can become blocked due to several reasons. These include having had:

• a previously burst appendix
• endometriosis
• a history of pelvic infection
• STDs such as gonorrhoea or chlamydia
• swelling at the end of the fallopian tube

Having blocked fallopian tubes doesn’t result in any visible symptoms, and it may often only become clear once you experience difficulties while conceiving. Apart from this, some women experience pain around the pelvic region or the belly. This can either happen closer to the time of their period or can be constant as well.

How Do You Know Whether Your Fallopian Tubes Are Blocked or Not?

Certainly, your physician might opt for hysterosalpingography (HSG), a form of X-ray examination utilized to identify blocked fallopian tubes. This procedure involves introducing a contrast dye into your uterus and fallopian tubes, which aids in highlighting any blockages that might be present when observed through X-ray imaging.

Your doctor could also do a laparoscopy to diagnose blocked fallopian tubes, although the preference often leans toward utilizing an HSG as the initial diagnostic step. Laparoscopy is a minimally invasive surgical procedure involving small incisions.

Top 17 Home Remedies for Blocked Fallopian Tubes

The fallopian tubes get blocked because of many problems. It is one of the most common reasons for female infertility. If you have been diagnosed with blocked fallopian tubes, here are some home remedies that can provide some relief. The remedies given below are done in a few other forms of treatment apart from medical treatments. However, you must know that they do not guarantee positive results.

1. Quit Smoking and Drinking

When you are going to try natural remedies to unblock your fallopian tubes, you need to start by eliminating variables that are known to cause health problems. Smoking and drinking have been established to be the cause of a range of diseases, and quitting them will improve the overall quality of your life. Alcohol and tobacco have been proven to wreak havoc on women’s fertility, with the failure to conceive due to blocked fallopian tubes being one of the effects. If you are a habitual smoker or have a habit of drinking, it’s best to quit before you try to conceive.

2. Include Vitamin C-rich Foods in Your Diet

Vitamin C boosts immunity and is essential for the absorption of iron in our foods. Fallopian tube blockages caused by infections can heal with the intake of sufficient Vitamin C-rich foods. Citrus fruits such as oranges and lemons are rich in Vitamin C. Apart from these, you can also eat grapefruit, strawberries, bell peppers, broccoli, green peppers, and kiwi.

3. Meditate to De-Stress

Stress is a major contributor to health problems, and it is a major cause of infertility in women. Certain meditation techniques are effective in calming down your body and balancing hormone levels and bodily functions. Therefore, find time every day to meditate a little bit to ease your mind and body. Mornings and evenings are ideal to meditate. Meditation is certainly a top and ideal natural treatment for blocked fallopian tubes.

4. Increase Your Consumption of Garlic

Herbs are mainly categorised on the basis of their ability to perform certain functions, such as balancing hormones, or their antibiotic and anti-inflammatory properties. Garlic is a natural antibacterial agent and fights microbes to boost the immune system. It is also helpful in preventing blood clots and platelet aggregation, effectively improving blood circulation. It also reduces scabs and scars from forming, thereby aiding the mucous membrane and keeping the fallopian tubes open.

5. Increase Consumption of Ginger, Cinnamon and Turmeric

With benefits and effects similar to that of garlic, these are also known to reduce inflammation, increase blood circulation, and prevent the blockage of the fallopian tubes. You can make tea out of these herbs or add them to your diet every day to gain the benefits.

6. Yoga

Yoga is a holistic approach to good health and healing. Although there are no studies to prove that yoga can help, there is no harm in trying the exercises given below, but only without getting your hopes up. That being said, yoga, with its gentle stretching exercises, can promote healing stress but cannot treat a blocked fallopian tube.

• ‘Viparita Karani’ is an exercise that works on the abdomen. It is also known as the ‘legs on the wall pose’. It involves lying on your back next to a wall with one of your sides in contact with the wall. Raise the leg that’s on the same side as the wall to an angle of 90 degrees. Pause for 2 seconds and lower it gently.
• ‘Setu Bandhasana’ or the ‘supported bridge pose’ is another effective exercise for the abdomen. Start by lying on your back and folding your knees at right angles. Using the muscles of the lower back and abdomen, slowly lift your pelvis up as you inhale. Bring it down while you exhale, going back to the starting position.

7. Fertility Massage

Massages work by improving blood flow to an affected area, which promotes faster healing of tissues and reduced inflammation. However, it is still not medically proven if fertility massages can work for a blocked fallopian tube. You may, however, try them by consulting a therapist who specialises in abdominal massaging.

8. Use Castor Oil

Castor oil is great for massages and is used in the treatment of many ailments in the body because it has some medicinal properties that affect the circulatory and lymphatic system by promoting good circulation. Massaging with castor oil on the lower abdomen could be one way to allow the stimulation of the lymphatic system around your uterus. However, just as several of the remedies given above, including fertility massages, there’s no medical backing that this remedy can improve the condition.

9. Stretching

Stretching is a natural exercise to improve circulation. It makes the body more compliant and helps treat injuries. Regular stretching as part of your daily exercise may have some healing effect on your body by restoring the blood flow, but it doesn’t guarantee a complete treatment of blocked fallopian tubes. Nonetheless, it is a great relaxing exercise to reduce pain in the pelvic and abdominal region.

10. Acupressure

Acupressure is similar to acupuncture, but there are no needles used when it comes to this treatment. The theory behind this alternative medicine technique is to clear blockages of energy flow in the body by applying pressure on what are known as pressure points on the body. Most of such treatments are not medically proven. There may be some cases where there was an overall improvement in the condition; however, there is no medical proof of it.

11. Fertility Cleanse Program

This is a body-cleanse regimen that is done for twenty-eight days to rid the body of substances that may hinder fertility. It includes following a healthy diet with herbs and gives you a detox of the kidney, colon, liver, and gallbladder, and rids the body of parasites and heavy metals. This technique could help the body to absorb nutrients better and improve overall health, but again, it does not assure treatment of a blocked fallopian tube.

12. Systematic Enzyme Therapy

The systematic enzyme therapy is a treatment that helps the body clear excess tissue, cleanse the blood, break scar tissue, lower immunological response, and increase circulation to the reproductive organs. The therapy uses systemic enzymes (enzymes that naturally occur in our bodies) to heal the body by reducing inflammation and scar tissue build-up. Traditionally, systemic enzymes were used by elderly people to reduce the effects of arthritis. It is also believed to reduce scar tissue in the fallopian tubes by dissolving the fibrin in it. It is looked upon as a viable treatment for curing infertility, but it does not have medical backing, or the results are not medically proven. Talk to your fertility specialist if you are planning on taking this treatment, as it may hinder your medical treatment for fertility, which you might be taking simultaneously.

13. Go on an Antioxidant-Rich Diet

Junk food is loaded with chemicals that resemble some of our hormones, particularly estrogen. These are bad for women as they often cause hormonal imbalances and are particularly worse for women with blocked fallopian tubes. An antioxidant-rich diet can combat the negative effects of junk food. Fresh fruits and vegetables are loaded with antioxidants, especially the colourful types, such as berries. Vegetable oils such as sunflower oil, safflower oil, mustard seed oil and coconut oil are high in antioxidants and good for use in cooking. Tea and coffee are also high in antioxidants. Additionally, cinnamon, chocolate, soy, and oregano also have necessary antioxidants. You can include carrots, eggs, papayas, mangoes, spinach, and zucchini in your diet for your overall health.

14. Lodhra

Lodhra is an Ayurvedic practice that is known to unblock fallopian tubes and boost fertility. However, there is no scientific evidence to back its safety and efficacy. Therefore, it is necessary to consult a doctor before starting Lodhra to open fallopian tubes.

15. Mugwort

Mugwort, scientifically known as Artemisia vulgaris, is an ancient herb popularly used across different continents, mainly in Chinese medicine, to deal with several reproductive and health issues. While it is known for turning the breech baby, no scientific research has evidence of it treating the blocked fallopian tubes. Therefore, a consult with a doctor prior to the use of mugwort is essential.

16. Dong Quai

Dong quai, a plant with a significant presence in Chinese herbal medicine, is known for treating reproductive issues, including removing blockage of fallopian tubes. In light of a comprehensive meta-analysis conducted in 2015, Chinese herbal medicine exhibits the potential to twofold pregnancy rates among women dealing with infertility. However, it’s worth noting that there is a lack of specific research dedicated to the efficacy of dong quai in alleviating fallopian tube blockages.

17. Vaginal Steaming

Vaginal steaming is popular for treating a number of health and reproductive issues, including fertility and menstrual cramps, and is also recommended for unblocking fallopian tubes. It is important to note that there is little to no evidence backing the safety or efficacy of this remedy.

When to See a Doctor?

Blockage in fallopian tubes could lead to infertility issues and damage the self-confidence of couples trying to conceive. if there is severe damage in the fallopian tubes, it could result in pelvic pain. Here are the following cases in which you should consult a doctor:

• If you are below 35 years of age and are unable to conceive for over a year of trying.
• If you are above 35 years of age and are unable to get pregnant within 6 months of trying.
• If you experience continuous pelvic pain.

FAQs

1. How Much Time Does It Take to Unblock the Fallopian Tubes?

Fallopian Tube Catheterisation (TCTC) is a surgical procedure that involves unblocking fallopian tubes through a catheter that passes through the tubal canal near the cervix (neck of the womb). The whole procedure is about 20-40 minutes, and the patient is under anaesthesia, so they experience only a tingling feeling.

2. Is There Any Medical Treatment to Unblock Fallopian Tubes?

There are certainly different medical treatments to unblock fallopian tubes, and one such is laparoscopy. A surgeon can also remove the fallopian tubes’ damaged parts and connect the remaining healthy parts together. These medical treatments have a higher success rate but are expensive on the pocket.

These natural treatments may be used alongside other treatments for unblocking fallopian tubes and improving fertility. You can try out these natural methods upon consulting a medical expert and getting a go-ahead from him/her.

References/Resources:

1. Ried. K; Chinese herbal medicine for female infertility: An updated meta-analysis; Complementary Therapies in Medicine, Volume 23, Issue 1, Pages 116-128; ScienceDirect; https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0965229914001915; February 2015

2. Goyal. M, Singh. S, et al.; Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis; JAMA Intern Med.; https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/1809754?__hstc=3584879.822a9c3981f04695664b9dc054b5f524.1523145601970.1523145601971.1523145601972.1&__hssc=3584879.1.1523145601973&__hsfp=1773666937; March 2014

3. Lee. M. S, Kang. J. W, Ernst. E; Does moxibustion work? An overview of systematic reviews; BMC Research Notes; https://bmcresnotes.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1756-0500-3-284; November 2010

4. Yoga: What You Need To Know; NIH; https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/yoga-what-you-need-to-know

5. Dong Quai; Drugs.com; https://www.drugs.com/npp/dong-quai.html

Also Read:

Unexplained Infertility
Acupuncture for Infertility
Ayurvedic Treatments to Cure Infertility